It has been stated on many occasions that music lovers should show increasing awareness to the potential damage they could be causing their hearing. With the development of technology we are able to plug ourselves in and listen to music everywhere we go, whether it’s taking a walk to the local shops, sitting on a tube or lazing by a beach. We use music to relax and unwind, hype ourselves up for a night out and on some occasions, to drown out other noises such as a sibling’s music. However, cranking up the music, much to our enjoyment, can have a devastating effect on our hearing.
It has been revealed tinnitus is one of the most common forms of hearing damage, especially in teenagers. Doctor Tony Kay, a senior chief audiologist at Fazakerley Hospital in Liverpool has recently connected hearing loss in teenagers with music players, saying: “In the last two years we have seen more people in their late teens and early 20s with tinnitus and this is sometimes because they are listening to personal players too loudly.
“Exposure to loud music can occur via a personal music player or at home, in the workplace or at public music concerts, pubs or nightclubs.
“There are simple steps which you can take which still enable you to enjoy music, but reduce the risk of developing tinnitus.
“If you go clubbing or attend loud gigs then think about wearing ear plugs, keep hydrated and take regular breaks away from the noise.
“If you regularly listen to music on a personal music player then you should make sure that the volume is turned down.
“Good ear plugs and lower volumes don’t affect the fidelity of the music – but they do help safeguard your hearing. In turn, this means that you can go on enjoying music for decades longer.
“As time goes on, we’re seeing people develop tinnitus symptoms younger and younger. Noise levels in clubs can hit around 100 decibels and anything higher than 85 can damage hearing in many people.
“People normally wouldn’t listen as loudly to personal music players, but if they turn them up to drown out background noise such as a train or bus then it can reach damaging levels.
“In addition, they may continue to listen at that volume hour after hour and the damage can mount up. It’s a simple message: don’t turn it off, but do turn it down.”
However, it is not all doom and gloom, there are precautions that can be put in place, such as wearing musician or noise earplugs when attending concerts and festivals. There is a stigma around wearing earplugs at music events, but there are far more advantages to wearing these ear defenders than first thought.
Benefits of musician earplugs
- They are discrete
- Are comfortable to wear
- Can make music more audible
- Protect your hearing from damaging noises
- Block background noises
You may have noticed that we here at
Once again tennis will be gracing our screens and is sure to become the hottest subject to talk about at the water cooler. Wimbledon will be commencing in June followed by the tennis Olympic Games, which will be starting in July through to August. Yes, that’s right we have almost three months of tennis to watch this year.